Anheuser-Busch isn’t saying “neigh” just yet to putting its Clydesdales in the Super Bowl.
The longtime Super Bowl advertising leader will ask fans starting later Friday to vote on three possible Budweiser ads on the brand’s Facebook page. One of them includes the company’s trademark Clydesdale horses. All are by advertising agency DDB.
Earlier this week, the brewer showed off the contenders for its five minutes of Super Bowl ads. None included the horses, which were last absent from the game in 2001.
But the company said it got a 60-second cut of a new Clydesdale ad that it likes better than a half-minute one it saw previously, and now the horses just might be in again.
Keith Levy, marketing vice president for the St. Louis-based subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, said fans will have the next several days to vote. The game airs Feb. 7 on CBS.
The possible Clydesdale commercial tells the story of friendship between a young Clydesdale and a young steer.
The company regularly films more commercials than it needs for the Super Bowl and whittles them down through consumer testing, often just before the game. But this marks the first time the brewer is putting the ads up for a vote so publicly. It’s also a change for a company that is typically guarded about its Super Bowl ads.
“We’re very guided by what the consumers say and not necessarily what I think, or what the brand teams think or what the agencies think,” Levy said. “We’re selling beer to consumers so it’s very important to us to make sure we’re resonating with them.”
DGA Feature Nominees: Audiard, Baker, Berger, Corbet and Mangold
The field of feature nominees for the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards spanning two categories is set. Nominated for the DGA honor for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for 2024 are: Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez, Sean Baker for Anora, Edward Berger for Conclave, Brady Corbet for The Brutalist, and James Mangold for A Complete Unknown.
The DGA also revealed the nominees for the Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film. The first-time narrative feature directors are: Payal Kapadia for All We Imagine as Light, Megan Park for My Old Ass, RaMell Ross for Nickel Boys, Halfdan Ullman Tondel for Armand, and Sean Wang for Diddy.
“2024 has been a truly extraordinary year for storytelling--and today’s nominees have created audacious and unique films that expand the possibilities of cinematic excellence,” said DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter. “I am thrilled to congratulate all our nominated directors for their brilliant work, which is visionary, inspirational and speaks to the depth of the human experience. To be chosen by one’s peers is the true marker of outstanding directorial achievement and what makes these nominations so very special.”
The winners will be announced at the 77th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 8.
Here’s a fuller rundown of the nominees in both DGA Award categories:
THEATRICAL FEATURE FILM
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for 2024 (in alphabetical order):
JACQUES AUDIARD
Emilia Pérez
(Netflix)
SEAN... Read More